h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

I'm glad it wasn't this thursday. i just got out for summer and it would be a pity to have the world destroyed.

We were on the Périphérique around Paris. Six pints for less than a fiver in Paris, eh? Even just one pint for less than a fiver is tricky to find! And you don't have to be too picky as for the beer.

Well Ford never siad what sort of beer it was, and a "fiver" may have been 50 pounds not 5. I am sure someone else must have considerd this (possibly Douglus Himself) becuase from memory Ford gives the Bartender a 50 pound note (or the color of a 50 pound note) in the TV serries.

Six pints for less than a fiver
i must have died cause it has got to be heaven.
Now how about a bottle of Mcallan to go a the same price.

Somehow I doubt it.

I've never heard fiver be used as slang for £50, can't remember what colour the note was in the series, but I do remember that in the 'word for word read by the author' cd I purchased of the first book, Ford gives the barman a tenner. I very nearly asked for my money back, but being dead, he's unlikely to re-record it any time soon is he?

Unless Hevan has a Sterophonics workshop no.

Sweetness! A movie in our future! Well, if I had to choose an actor that would best suit that Arthur of my mind, I would pick that guy who was the main character in "Croupier." Except I would give him blond hair. Then he would BE Arthur.

A movie? Any links this time or are we still to assume that somthing is going on without an internet sight?

And come to think of it (not meaning to labour the point) I beleive in the book it says 'five pound note' rather than 'fiver' following the wrods 'Ford handed the barman a ...'

I said in the TV show, they color of the note was like a £50 but then again some things can look like a £50.

I am not to sure about Jim Carey doing the role of Arthur,but had a curious thought that he would make a better Zaphod,but what I think would be cool would be to do it animated like Heavy Metal.Just my thoughts on the matter.

Garglemaker

To my knowledge, Jim Carrey was only *ever* mooted for Zaphod. Nobody involved with the film considered him for Arthur.

"from memory Ford gives the Bartender a 50 pound note (or the color of a 50 pound note) in the TV serries."

Possible, but very, very unlikely.

Bear in mind that the script was written in the seventies, and the TV show was, I think, shot in 1980 (or was it '81???).

Now bear in mind that until mid-1981, there was NO SUCH OBJECT as a fifty pound note. The denomination was only reintroduced in that year.

So, consider the likelihood of the production crew deliberately obtaining one of these very rare, brand new notes, and then have the barman refer to it as a "fiver", and comment upon it no further. Consider that even today, many places simply refuse to accept fifties, and walking round trying to spend them is the equivalent of wearing a hat saying "drug dealer".

The note in question was a fiver, i.e. five pounds. Even now, paying for six pints with fifty quid would get more of a reaction than "oh thank you sir" from any normal person...

H.

"What the am I supposed to do with this? Haven't you got anything smaller? What's that strange, sickly sweet odour? You don't have to eat the peanuts all at once, you know!"

Well if it was shot in 1981 the £50 would have be in the planning light and remember that the TV Show wouldn't be on until it was probably released.
However this is my Memory we are talking about so I am going to get the DVD and see if I can spot the color.

We must remember that Ford Prefect knew how to use the fact he was several thousand light years from home and apply that sort of like the force.

Yes but keeping the change from a 50 pound note would be quite more than worth the bar-person's while. Its what 6 pints of bitter, thats about £30 or so, so thats £20 for the barman, depending on the pub and the type of bitter. In the book he buys the beer in the "Horse and Groom" in the saloon bar. However in the Tv series the pub is most definitely a Red Lion. When Ford is in the bar he "slapped a five pound note on the bar" and then we are met with the mystifying line. It suddenly occurs to me that the Barman might have been sarcastic,

The show was made in 1980 and broadcast in January 1981. It's not a £50 note.

"The average price of a pint of draught bitter in a pub was 41p in 1980"*

6 pints would cost £2.46. A fiver would *still* be a generous tip at that time.

*source: http://www.beerandpub.com/newpages/sec6newp/fpres105.html - press release for "British Beer & Pub Association 2001 Statistical Handbook"

I don't know how much of this has been covered in this thread but chortle has this story today: http://www.chortle.co.uk/news/jun03/guide.html

No - this is quite new. They only signed a few weeks ago, so it's been confidential until now.

Apparently they have already done some visual designs for the movie, and everyone is very excited with them. The budget is the only problem now - originally, it was estimated to cost over $100m, but they're hoping to do it for a lot less than that. I guess we'll see.